6 Ways To Help You Get the Strongest Arms Ever

You'll give Serena Williams a run for her money.

While we’ve already told you how to strengthen your core and glutes, it’s time to focus on an-other part of your body – your guns, otherwise known as your arms. Strong muscles here don’t just make you look good in tanks come summer, but they also help you carry your textbooks, protect your back when doing heavy lifting, and boost the efficacy of your workouts. To help you get started, here are six moves that will tone and build up the main muscles in your arms, and are guaranteed to to turn you into your own version of Supergirl.

If you’re not looking to gain any muscle mass in your arms you are going to have to avoid extreme conditions during your workout. This means trying to do lighter work for a longer period of time, here are some of the best workouts to help you achieve that:

Push-up

It’s a one of the most classic gym exercises you can do. Your biceps (front of the arm) are the focus of a classic push-up so keep that in mind as you raise yourself by the strength of your arms, with your stomach down and feet a few inches apart. Start with short sets, 5 to 10 push-ups, then a minute of rest. Holding your abdominal muscles tight and keeping your body steady, you should repeat for 5 sets.

Tricep push-up

To use the push-up to target your triceps (back of the arms) you just need to adjust the angle of approach on the push-up. You should bring your hands together underneath you to form a diamond shape, then proceed as normal with a controlled downward motion. A second version of the tricep push-up is keeping your hands aligned with your shoulders and lowering straight up and down with your elbows tucked close to your body. You will feel the work in a new place right away. Do another set of 5 here after your regular push-ups or, to keep things interesting, alternate between the two.

Wall push-up

Push-ups not really your thing? Don’t worry; I hate them too. But, you can use a wall to assist. Start with your hands on the wall and slowly back your feet away until you feel the support start to shift to your hands. From here you can adjust the push-ups to target your triceps in the same way.

Tricep Dip

Another move that’s easy to do anywhere is a tricep dip. Find a chair or bench and take a seat. With an arm on either side of your body, push off the seat and move your booty off the edge of the seat, balancing on the heels of your feet. Slowly lower your body down a few inches and then raise it back up. Continue the dips for a set of 10 then rest. Keep adding a few more dips to each set to build some endurance.

Looking for a little more strength in your arms this year? More power to you, literally. There’s nothing unattractive about a woman with strong arms, just ask Michelle Obama. It takes a lot of hard work to gain muscles in your arms; you have to work your muscles to the point of breaking down so they can rebuild bigger and stronger. It takes women a lot of work to build large muscles so don’t be afraid of turning into Schwarzenegger overnight. Building muscles also boosts your overall metabolism so if you're up for the challenge, stronger arms can contribute to a stronger body with a couple of quick moves.

Bicep Curls

As classic as a push-up, the bicep curl is a simple movement to do with a set of hand weights. You simply raise and lower the weight at the side of your body alternating left and right, elbows tucked in, feet hip-width apart. Keep everything else as still as possible and isolate the work to your biceps. To find your ideal level of weight try something out around 20 lbs and see how many reps you can do until exhaustion. 10 reps is an ideal max for this. If you can do more than 10 curls comfortably then it’s time to up your weights.

Tricep Kickbacks

Taking the focus to your triceps, kickbacks are a simple complement to the bicep curl. Using a chair or bench, bend onto the surface by placing a knee and a hand down for support. In the opposite hand hold a weight (slightly less weight than for your bicep curl) and curl it up to your shoulder. This exercise is about extending the weight back, so from the curled position push the weight back and up until your arm is straight behind you. Start with 10 reps on either side and increase the weight when that starts to feel manageable.